As council wound down last Wednesday, Councilman Reverend Ricky Burgess (District 9) took the time give a brief statement to the emptying chambers, down to only the necessary five to have quorum.

“Over the years council has ceded a lot of the authority overseeing projects to city planning, to other entities,” Burgess said. “If council has the appetite to, we could always change the code and put more approval in our hands. I’m open to that conversation.”

After taking a podium on the cramped main floor of the 5801 Video Lounge in Shadyside, Marty Healey launched a campaign for the newly-vacated District 8 Pittsburgh city council seat with a forward-looking speech, pulling on his time as businessman and an LGBT political activist.